MICL News State-of-the-Science Conference Presents New Research

An audience of more than 150 people attended MICL's state-of-the-science conference on Oct. 28-29, 2010. Participants from Syracuse, New York, to Seoul, South Korea, gathered for “Community Participation by People with Disabilities: How Do We Measure Up?,” which was held in Overland Park, Kansas. 

Attendees included researchers, disability advocates, policy makers and staff from organizations that serve people with disabilities.

The conference was the culmination of four years of translational research. MICL researchers presented the results of eight projects that focus on different ways to measure and improve participation in the community for people with disabilities.

Members of MICL’s external Advisory Panel also took part in the conference, providing attendees with perspectives from national leaders in the field of independent living for people with disabilities.

As part of the focus on translating research to practice, the second day of the conference was held in collaboration with the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL), a national disability organization.

As one staff member from a center for independent living commented, “I’m pleased that so much scientific research is taking place with regard to people with disabilities and their needs. As a result of attending, I am much more aware of the importance of making this research available to assist policy makers and legislators in their work.”